President Ramaphosa (left) and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame tried to mend relations last year
Pretoria, South Africa, February 3 — Diplomatic relations between South Africa and Rwanda continue to worsen with President Cyril Ramaphosa vowing to reinforce South African national army, SANDF, deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, accusing the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group of killing 14 South African peacekeepers in eastern D.R. Congo.
“The situation in the areas where our troops are stationed remains highly volatile. We are making every effort to ensure that our soldiers are well-equipped and sufficiently supported” said Ramaphosa
In a statement issued Monday February 3, Ramaphosa said that South Africa will not retreat from its peacekeeping commitment in D.R. Congo and called on Rwanda to immediately withdraw its forces from the Congolese territory.
Referring to attacks targeting South African troops in D.R. Congo, Ramaphosa said ‘they were killed in a violation of a ceasefire agreement between DR. Congo and Rwanda”.
He called for a strong political will and leadership from all parties to the conflict as well as respect for the territorial integrity of DRC.
“We endorse the call by the UN Security Council for the reversal of the territorial expansion by the M23 rebel group and for the exit of external forces from the DRC”, the statement said.
South Africa warned that further attacks on its troops would be considered a “declaration of war”.
Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame hit back, accusing South Africa of being part of a “belligerent force” involved in “offensive combat operations” to help the Congolese government “fight against its own people”.
South Africa and Rwanda have long had a difficult relationship.
In 2014, South Africa expelled three Rwandan diplomats after an attack on the home of an exiled Rwandan dissident in Johannesburg.
Kagame’s government responded by expelling six South African envoys.
Tensions seemingly eased after Ramaphosa’s visit to Rwanda last year for commemorations to mark the 30th anniversary of the genocide in which about 800,000 people were killed.
But they have flared up again, following the death of the South Africans who were deployed to eastern DR Congo in December 2023 as part of a regional peace-keeping force sent by the Southern African Development Community (Sadc).
South African soldiers make up the bulk of the force – known by the acronym SAMIDRC – that had the mission of repelling armed groups such as the M23 and bringing peace to the mineral-rich region following decades of unrest.
The latest diplomatic fall-out started with a post shared on Ramaphosa’s X page.
In it, Ramaphosa confirmed he had spoken to Kagame about the escalating conflict and that both leaders had agreed “on the urgent need for a ceasefire and the resumption of peace talks by all parties to the conflict”.
Ramaphosa also insisted, in a later statement, that the presence of South African troops in DR Congo was not a “declaration of war against any country or state” – an apparent reference to Rwanda.
Ramaphosa also went further on X, saying the peacekeepers were killed in attacks by the M23 and – he pointedly added – “Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) militia”.
This angered Kagame, who said statements made by South African officials – including Ramaphosa – contained lies and distortion.
“The Rwanda Defence Force is an army, not a militia,” Kagame replied on X.
He added that the regional peacekeepers – who included troops from Tanzania and Malawi – were a “belligerent force” working alongside “genocidal armed groups” that targeted Rwanda, and had “no place in this situation”.
Kagame closed his statement by saying South Africa was in “no position to take on the role of a peacemaker or mediator” and if the country wanted a confrontation, Rwanda would “deal with the matter in that context any day”.
Kagame’s comments clearly suggested that he wants South Africa to back off from DR Congo, where its military involvement dates back to the late 1990s.
